


The Raccoon, The Aunt, And The CEO

by ElphieRix



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extremis Pepper Potts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, It's Post-Snap There's Always A Given Amount Of Angst, Literally Only Rated Teen Cause Rocket Likes To Say Naughty Words, Oh Yeah And Lowkey, POV Pepper Potts, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Pepper Potts Takes Care Of Everyone Else And Not Herself, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Yeah I Just Like Weird Friendships Leave Me Be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 17:44:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18124463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElphieRix/pseuds/ElphieRix
Summary: In the days after the snap, unexpected friendships are formed and surprising revelations are had.ORRocket finally sees a fucking raccoon.





	The Raccoon, The Aunt, And The CEO

 

Pepper knows Rocket followed her to May’s. She knows he follows her a lot, these days. He claims it’s because she’s the compound resident who most obviously needs protecting, but Pepper thinks it’s more complicated than that. She sees how often he almost calls the surviving Avengers by the wrong names, and the way it makes his fur stand on end and his little hands clench into fists. He’s always much ruder after it happens.

  
  
For some reason she doesn’t remind him of anyone he’s lost, so she doesn’t tell him about the Extremis warming her veins or the watch that folds out into a repulsor glove, and lets him assign himself as her clandestine bodyguard.

  
  
It’s been almost a month since Thanos won and May Parker is... not doing well. Truth be told, Pepper isn’t doing very well either, but she’s had her practice at locking that all away and staying functional. She visits May at much as she can, making sure the woman is eating and drinking and washing herself. She doesn’t try and make her sleep. Pepper never really got the hang of that with Tony either.

  
On the good days, they talk. It’s interesting to hear about the boy Tony loves so much from someone else’s mouth. Pepper loves Peter a little too, even if she doesn’t know him as well as Tony does, and hearing about him from his aunt makes her love him all the more.

  
  
Only once does May get angry with Tony. Pepper won’t allow it. She leaves a smoking handprint on the table as she hisses out through her teeth about the nightmares and the panic attacks and his heart, his beautiful shining open heart. Then she apologises and leaves.

  
  
When May brings up Tony again, she talks about how Peter saw him. For the first time since he stepped through that portal with a wink and reminder about their reservation, Pepper cries.

  
  
Her face is dry but her eyes are still stinging when she steps out of May’s apartment building into the tepid early evening air. Rocket is standing frozen in the entrance of an alleyway and doesn’t acknowledge her presence as she approaches.

  
  
“What  _ the fuck _ are those?” he asks hoarsely when she’s standing right behind him.

  
  
Oh.

  
  
In the alley, hiding among garbage spilled from the overflowing dumpsters, are a group of raccoons. Rocket is staring at the closest one as it stares right back and clutches an unidentifiable piece of trash in its paws.

  
  
Rocket looks down at his own hands, then back at the animal. “Hey,” he addresses it directly, fur bristling. “What. The fuck. Are you?”

  
  
“They’re raccoons,” says Pepper softly.

  
  
Not softly enough, for at the sound of her voice the group turns and skitters away, striped tails sticking out stiffly. Rocket makes an involuntary keening noise, short, low, and rough, and Pepper pretends not to hear.

  
  
She doesn’t know how to comfort him, but almost unconsciously her hand drops to the top of his head. She runs her fingers through his fur like she’s working through the knots in Tony’s hair after a particularly bad day. He always melts under her touch, sighing and burying his face in her lap as her fingertips attempt to soothe his troubles away. Sometimes after a while he turns and looks up at her with those eyes and one of his tiny precious half smiles and Pepper forgets how to breathe.

  
  
Rocket doesn’t react like Tony does. He doesn’t trust her the way Tony does, so it takes a moment for the tension to flow out of him. When it does, he leans back and tilts his chin up ever so slightly to give her better access.

  
  
“Why wouldn’t they talk to me?” he says so faintly she almost doesn’t catch it.

  
  
Pepper takes a deep breath and tries to keep her voice as kind and gentle as possible. “They can’t. They’re animals.”

  
  
Rocket is silent for a very long time.

  
  
Eventually he pulls away from her and without glancing in her direction says, “I can’t believe I’m a fucking Terran.”

  
  
“Is that really such a bad thing?” says Pepper lightly.

  
  
She starts walking back to the car, which will take her back to the compound, which will be horribly empty but still somehow full of people she doesn’t want to talk to. Rocket follows her after a long moment’s deliberation. She feels the weight of his eyes on her back.

  
  
“I guess not,” he says quietly.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry to everyone waiting for a soupdragon or snapshots update. this is what my brain is giving me instead. i just......love those friendships canon is never gonna give us so much
> 
> comments give me life and remind me why i do this and i'm not above begging. pls comment if you liked this strange little ficlet


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